Time in Flames
by Written-Violinist
Summary: My NaNoWriMo 2014 fic. Summary inside.
1. Author's Note

**Helllloooooooo, readers!**

**I'd like to introduce you to my NaNoWriMo 2014 novel, "Time in Flames". For those of you who are keeping up with my short stories and my high school fic "Shatter Me", you know of the pairing Chaos and Robyn (Chaobyn). Well, my NaNoWriMo novel is going to future their daughter, Eternity Prower, and the situations she gets into. The summary will give a basic overview…**

**Summary: Eternity would like to think that she's just a normal teen fox sometimes... except that she isn't. Then again, no kid would be normal if their mother was the wielder of Starfire and a vampire, their father was the Original Lifeform, their uncle was the Ultimate Lifeform, their aunt was from another dimension, and their grandparents weren't their grandparents by blood. Eternity must grow up with high expectations set for her, especially when enemies of her family set their sights on her. Can she handle what her parents handled when they were her age, or will she fall victim to the darkness?**

**Disclaimer for the novel: Eternity, Eternity's future sibling, Robyn, Kelly, Alustriel, Zoey, Elythia, Braelyn, Mathius, Malicai, Aliana, Vlad, Aero, and Shawn all belong to me. Father Darkness (FD), Sierra, the 10 Alvainians, Katherine, Skarrow, Xsus, Ria, Chase, Jackson, Nygo, Sorro, Lizzie, and Tatha belong to BlackSandHeart. Chaos, Sophie, Midna, Sangna, and Kuro belong to Chaotic hedgehog. Sky belongs to Amicus Mortis. Ana belongs to AnahitatheMoonlakefairy. Strife belongs to Strife the Dark 152. Finally, Sonic and Co. belong to SEGA.**

**Now… *smirks* Let's get started!**


	2. Prologue

"CHAOS THE HEDGEHOG, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The aforementioned hedgehog winced as his wife, Robyn, nearly broke his hand. Since when did she have a grip of steel? "I'm sorry honey-"

"NO! SORRY DOES NOT FIX THIS! ONCE THIS IS OVER, I SWEAR BY THE EMERALDS THAT I'LL…" Robyn trailed off as she emitted another scream of agony.

Chaos grimaced, mouthed "Ow", and looked at his sister-in-law, Alustriel. "Can you go any faster?!"

The blue fox glared at him. "This is not a process that can be sped up, Chaos! It all depends on the baby!"

The hedgehog groaned and looked back at his wife. She was panting and screaming curses as she continued to push. Alustriel, her best friend Braelyn Hallowcloak, and Braelyn's old friend Aliana Ravencloud, were standing in front of Robyn's hospital bed, trying to encourage her and keep Chaos from spouting nonsense. The last thing she needed was him saying something stupid. Her brother, Miles "Tails" Prower, was standing on the other side of her, holding her other hand. Apparently she wasn't gripping his hand as hard because he looked perfectly fine; well, other than worried about his sister.

Robyn screamed again. Tears were streaming down her exhausted face. "Alustriel, I can't do it! I can't!"

"Robyn Isabella Prower, if I hear that come out of your mouth again I swear that I'll slap you into Katherine's dimension. You've faced many things that were worse than this, and you made it out just fine every time. Aero, Shawn, Eggman, all of that crap. This is nothing compared to those situations!" Alustriel snapped.

Chaos would've glared at her for that, but Robyn gripped his hand again and squeezed her eyes shut. "AAAAAAGGGHHHHH!"

**-XxXxX-**

Outside in the waiting room, it was nearly crowded. All of Chaos and Robyn's friends and family were waiting anxiously for news. Kelly the Echidna, Robyn's adopted daughter, frowned as she looked at her best friend. "Xsus, do you think they'll be okay?"

Xsus, a golden cat with blue eyes, grinned at her. "They'll be a-okay, Kelly! Alustriel and Braelyn and Aliana know what they're doing!"

Shadow the Hedgehog nodded from where he was standing. "They're both in the finest hands. My brother wouldn't have had it any other way."

His sister, Katherine the Light Giver, glanced over to the door and brushed her bangs out of her face. "I bet you Robyn is breaking his hand in there."

"Do you hear the screaming, Katherine?" Sonic the Hedgehog joked.

The black and red cat gave him a Look. Kelly smiled and hugged Xsus. "Thanks, bestie!"

Xsus' face turned faintly pink, but he hugged her back. "Of course, bestie!"

Zoey Prower, Robyn's other sister, snickered and nudged Rouge the Bat. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Those two are gonna become a thing someday."

"Okay, I'm not the only one who can see it!" Rouge laughed.

"Can see what?" Amy Rose asked.

Rouge pointed to Kelly and Xsus, who were still kind of hugging. A smile slowly grew on Amy's face and she clasped her hands together. "Awww! They're so cute!"

Kelly and Xsus both heard that, and they immediately pulled away from each other. Xsus' face had darkened a little while Kelly was bright red. She sent a death stare towards the three women, who were giggling like fangirls. Zap, a golden cat with storm-blue eyes and a zig-zag scar on the right side of his face, frowned. "What?"

Katherine sighed and patted Zap's arm. "Nothing, Zappy."

Zap opened his mouth to say something about the nickname, but Xsus' adopted brother Skarrow silenced him with a Look. Shade the Echidna frowned as she looked at the door. "Robyn stopped screaming…"

Everyone shut up and listened. Sure enough, their fox friend was silent for the first time since she had arrived at the hospital. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Kelly looked at Xsus worriedly and slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and patted the top of her head with his free hand.

A sudden wail pierced the air. Everyone in the room stood absolutely still as they processed the noise. The wail happened again… and then the sound of a newborn crying followed right after.

The door leading into the hospital room opened and Braelyn stepped out. The blonde human smiled softly as all eyes turned to her. "Robyn's fine. The baby's fine too."

Sighs of relief filled the waiting room. "What's the gender?" Blaze the Cat asked.

Braelyn chuckled. "Why don't you find out for yourself? A few at a time, guys. There's not a lot of space."

She looked around the room. "So… we'll start with family first. Shadow, Katherine, Kelly, and Zoey. Then the rest of you can come in, four at a time."

She turned on her heel and walked back into the room. The four family members immediately followed after her. Kelly clutched Zoey's arm nervously, causing the red fox to smile softly. She could understand the echidna's uncertainty; she had been the same way when her mother had given birth to Robyn. Kelly wouldn't believe that Robyn and the baby were all right until she saw them with her own eyes.

As soon as Kelly's eyes fell upon the grey fox, she let go of Zoey and ran over to her. "Momma…!"

Robyn smiled tiredly and wrapped her arms around Kelly. "Hey, kiddo…"

Kelly hugged her back tightly, and then felt another familiar pair of arms around her. "Dad?"

Chaos smiled and kissed the top of the echidna's head. "It's me."

Kelly smiled as she pulled away from the couple. "Well…?"

Robyn gestured behind the echidna. Kelly turned and found Aliana walking over with a bundle of blankets in her arms. She smiled as Kelly stepped aside and then she gave Robyn the bundle. "She's precious, Robyn."

Shadow blinked slowly. "A… A girl…?"

Chaos nodded to his brother. "A girl."

Robyn's dark green eyes watered with tears of joy as she looked down at the baby in her arms. The tiny girl was a grey fox just like her, but she had her father's black streaks all over her body and in what hair she already had. She had Robyn's nose and muzzle, and her ears were adorably small. The tip of her tail was tucked under her chin, and was white like her mom's.

Robyn gasped softly as her daughter's eyes opened. "Chaos… she… she has your eyes…"

Chaos stood up straight and gently took the baby. He looked down at her and his eyes widened. Her eyes were exactly like his, aqua blue. They stared up at him curiously and Chaos almost felt like he was staring in a mirror when he looked at her face. His eyes watered and he slowly smiled before he planted a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead.

Shadow and Katherine walked over and stood on both sides of Chaos. Katherine's eyes were wide as she stared at her newborn niece. "She… she's beautiful…"

Shadow nodded in agreement, unable to speak. He stepped back to allow Zoey to have a look. The red fox's face softened as she looked at the baby. "Awww…"

Kelly looked at Chaos. "Can I… Can I hold her…?"

Chaos nodded and knelt down to Kelly's height. He carefully handed his daughter over to the echidna and smiled as Kelly automatically adjusted her arms to support her new sister. "Good job, Kels…"

The echidna beamed and then carefully sat on the edge of the bed, close enough to Robyn so the fox could look at both of her girls. She smiled and slumped against her pillows, exhausted from the process. Shadow came over to her and gently hugged her. "You did well, Robyn."

"That means a lot, Shadow. Thank you," Robyn whispered as she returned the embrace.

The black hedgehog smiled faintly and patted her back before pulling away. "Who do you want to see next?"

"Um… Sonic," the fox said after thinking about it.

Shadow nodded shortly and left the room. Braelyn chuckled as she watched him go. "I called it."

"What? His reaction?" Aliana asked as she leaned against the wall.

Braelyn nodded. Katherine chuckled weakly. "I think it officially hit him that he's an uncle now. Once the shock wears off, he'll be fine."

"I could say the same thing about you," Chaos joked as he poked his sister.

Katherine made a face and poked him back. Then the door opened again and Sonic came into the room. His eyes focused on Robyn and he smiled. "Hey Robyn."

She smiled back at him. "Hi Blue."

His gaze shifted to Kelly, who was still holding the baby. "… A girl?"

The grey fox nodded. The hero of Mobius slowly came forward and peeked down at the blankets. His eyes also widened as he got a good look at the girl. "She looks just like you, Robyn… and she's got Chaos' eyes…"

"She's perfect, isn't she?" Robyn whispered.

Sonic nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

As the rest of the gang filtered in and out of the room, Robyn and Chaos were both complimented on a job well done and how beautiful their daughter was. Even Zap himself was slightly taken with the child. He was mostly wary, however, and he expressed his concerns to the little family.

"Think about her heritage, you two. Robyn, you're the wielder of Starfire and a vampire. Chaos, you're the Original Lifeform. Shadow is her uncle and the Ultimate Lifeform. Katherine is her aunt and is from our dimension, which means she has some amount of Alvainian blood in her. Combine all of those together and she's going to be a powerful kid. Your enemies are going to target her, there's no doubt about it," Zap warned.

Kelly immediately clutched her sister protectively. Chaos scowled. "Over my dead body are they going to touch her."

Zap sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "My concern lays with Father Darkness finding out about her. Him and Queen Tatha."

Chaos gritted his teeth. Robyn looked at her daughter worriedly. "Why those two specifically, Zap?"

"You know about the relationship between Chaos and FD, Robyn. He could use your daughter against Chaos and then the Followers of Darkness would have an advantage over us because none of us would be willing to hurt her," Zap said gently.

Kelly looked at her sister, who had gone to sleep after having been "Aww"ed over for a good half an hour. "And Queen Tatha?"

"Tatha absolutely _despises _half-breeds. It's frowned upon to be one in our dimension, Kelly. The last time we had them, they were all executed because they weren't pure Alvainian. It's ridiculous, but if Tatha were to find out about your sister having even the slightest amount of Alvainian blood in a mixture of blood from another dimension, she'd stop at nothing to have her killed," Zap scowled.

He looked at the sleeping child. "She should be okay if she is trained properly in any ability that she develops, but you need to keep a close eye on her as she gets older."

Robyn nodded and gently took her daughter from Kelly. The echidna frowned. "How about a less depressing topic… what is her name going to be?"

Chaos and Robyn looked at each other. Several memories flashed through Chaos' mind and he smiled as he leaned over to kiss his wife. "I think there's only one name that would fit."

Robyn tilted her head at him. "What?"

The Original Lifeform chuckled. "What have I always told you ever since we first started dating…?"

The grey fox bit her lip, thinking. Then her eyes widened and she smiled at her husband. "I'll love you always…"

Chaos smirked slightly and shook his head, playing along. "Robyn, 'always' is too short. I'll love you for…"

He leaned in to kiss her briefly, and then he knelt down to kiss his daughter's forehead again. "… Eternity."

"… Eternity?" Kelly asked as she also tilted her head.

Robyn nodded happily as a tear slid down her face. "Eternity."

As if she was reacting, the little girl opened her eyes and blinked up at her parents. Zap smiled faintly and then left the room. Everyone else was gathered in the waiting room again, and they all looked at him as he stepped out with the door closing behind him. He tapped his fingers against each other before opening his mouth.

"Her name is Eternity."


	3. Three Years Old

_Three years later…_

"Eternity? Eternity! Where are you?" Chaos called out.

Down the hall, he could hear faint giggling. A grin slowly curled his lips as he followed the sound into the sun room, where little grey fox ears were poking out from beside a chair. Chaos' eyes focused on the chair for a few seconds before he purposely looked at the couch.

"Gee, I wonder where she could be? Oh well. I guess she won't get to see Xsus, Zap, Auntie Katherine, and everyone else that came to see her," Chaos sighed dramatically.

A squeal suddenly echoed throughout the room and the little grey fox emerged from her hiding place to tackle her father. "I here!"

Chaos laughed as he picked her up and swung her around. "There's my baby girl!"

"Daddy!" Eternity squeaked happily.

The red hedgehog's heart swelled up with pride for his daughter. Here she was, barely three years old, and she was already making excellent progress in terms of movement and speech. For the first two years of her life, Eternity had refused to say much or move anywhere on her own. She HAD to be carried by someone, mainly either Robyn, Chaos, Kelly, Tails, or Zoey. Robyn had been extremely worried and spent her time trying to get the little girl to move or talk, all to no avail.

It was all thanks to Braelyn and her husband Mathius, who were deemed to be Eternity's "grandparents". They and their four-year-old son Malicai started encouraging Eternity to speak and walk by letting her watch as they showed off their abilities. Braelyn took her into the forest and Eternity was awed as the blonde ranger made the plants come to life. The little fox also got to watch as Braelyn talked to the animals, who in turn would come over and play with her. This was when Eternity began to walk around by herself as her proud grandmother watched from her seat in the trees.

Mathius and Malicai kept her close to home by playing in the spacious front yard. Eternity's favorite game was when Mathius used his wizard abilities to pretend to be a monster, and she and Malicai were the heroes. In order to defeat him, the two kids had to discuss some kind of strategy plan and use words to beat Mathius. The wizard would playfully cry out as they conquered him and then the kids would jump on him, laughing. From this, Eternity slowly grew used to talking to people, especially if Malicai was in the room. The two of them never shut up sometimes.

The little fox squirmed, bringing Chaos out of his thoughts. He looked down at his daughter and she grinned at him. "Down!"

The hedgehog laughed as he put her down. "You don't ask for much, do ya kiddo?"

Eternity giggled as her father ruffled her hair. It was almost the same length as her mother's- halfway down her back. She also had Chaos' black streaks in her hair, as well as on her body. She was currently wearing a purple dress that had sparkles on it and went to her knees, and black flats. Chaos smiled at how adorable she looked, and then he looked towards the hallway. Eternity followed her father's gaze and her face lit up.

"Auntie Katherine!" she cried as she ran forward.

The black and red cat laughed and knelt down with open arms. As soon as Eternity tackled her, she wrapped her arms around her niece. "Hey Eternity."

Chaos chuckled as he walked over. "Hey sis."

Behind Katherine, Xsus grinned. "Eternity! Where's my hug?!"

The little fox immediately pulled away from Katherine and ran around her to hug Xsus. "Hiiii!"

"Hiiiii!" Xsus laughed.

Zap smiled faintly as he nodded to Chaos. The hedgehog returned the gesture and then smirked as Eternity hugged Zap's leg. The first Alvainian looked startled at the fact that a child was actually HUGGING him, and he placed a hand on her head. "Hello."

"Hi! … Zappy!" Eternity squeaked as she looked up at him with bright blue eyes.

Zap sweatdropped at the nickname. Katherine softly snickered. The golden cat gave her a long "Stop that" look before he carefully picked Eternity up. The little fox emitted a small "Eep" of surprise as she was lifted off of the ground. Her ears flattened against her head slightly as Zap gave her a somewhat stern look.

"Zap, stop terrorizing my daughter," a voice said jokingly.

Eternity's eyes brightened and she started squirming again to get down. Zap put her down and then sent a scowl at the newcomer. "I wasn't terrorizing her."

Xsus laughed again. "He's not Sierra."

Zap opened his mouth to retort, thought about the statement for a second, and then closed his mouth. Eternity ran over to the newcomer and tackled her. "Mommy!"

"Hi baby girl," Robyn beamed as she hugged her daughter.

Chaos' eyes softened considerably as they fell upon his wife. She was wearing a cobalt-blue skirt with a black button-up shirt and her usual black boots with the silver stripe on them. Her locket still hung around her neck like it always did, and her dark green eyes twinkled as they met his gaze.

The Original Lifeform quietly walked over to her. He took her chin between his thumb and index finger before he pressed a kiss to her lips. After a few seconds he pulled back slightly and smiled. "Hey beautiful."

The grey fox blushed a little. Four years together and he still knew how to make her feel weak in the knees. "Hey…"

Zap cleared his throat awkwardly. "Everyone else is gathered outside."

The two pulled away from each other, equally red in the face. Suddenly a light grey cat with forest-green eyes appeared next to Zap and swatted him upside the head. "Zap! Stop ruining moments!"

"Ow, Windy!" Zap snapped as he rubbed his head.

Eternity giggled and walked over to Windy. She held her hand up. "Five!"

The fifth Alvainian chuckled and gave the girl a high-five. Eternity grinned and hugged Windy's leg as well. Unlike Zap, however, Windy didn't mind as much. She smirked faintly and ruffled the fox's fur. "You're getting big, kid."

Eternity grinned again. "I be real big someday! Like you!"

Zap smirked and put a hand on her head again. "You'll always be short, in that case."

The little fox's mouth fell open in shock. Chaos shook his head and scooped his daughter up as Windy swatted Zap again. "You're terrible."

The golden cat scowled. "Ow!"

Katherine shook her head and turned to the door. "Let's go."

The others followed behind her. Once they got outside they were greeted by many familiar faces: Sonic and co., Team Staryia, a few of the Alvainians, Braelyn, Mathius, Malicai, Kelly's pretend brother Strife, and many more. Eternity looked around in awe. "Mommy?"

"Yes sweet pea?" Robyn asked as she walked up to her and Chaos.

"There's so many people," Eternity said.

The grey fox nodded. Chaos adjusted his daughter slightly and looked at his wife. "Why so many?"

Robyn shrugged and then grinned. "Why so serious?"

"… You're lucky I can't facepalm right now," Chaos groaned as he gave his wife a long look.

Xsus' eyes brightened as he spotted a familiar light blue echidna. He snuck over to her and grabbed her shoulders from behind. "BOO!"

Kelly shrieked and almost jumped a foot in the air. She whirled around and put a hand to her heart. "XSUS!"

The cat fell onto the ground, laughing hysterically. "H-H-Hi Kels!"

The echidna scowled as she knelt down next to him. "Was that necessary!?"

"… YES!" Xsus proclaimed as he stared up at her dramatically.

Kelly facepalmed and extended her hand to him. Xsus took it and grinned at her innocently. "Hi."

As soon as she pulled him up, Kelly swatted his shoulder. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, you caudex!"

Xsus' ears flattened slightly, but he grinned again and pulled her into a hug. "You know you love me."

Kelly's face turned slightly red as she found herself squished against her best friend's chest. "Uh… yeah. Sure. Can you let me go now?"

"Nooooooooo! I shall never let you go!" Xsus cried vividly.

Kelly sweatdropped and started laughing. A few feet away from them, Cream the Rabbit and Cosmo the Seedrian giggled. "Zoey! They're doing it again!" Cosmo called out.

Zoey grinned and snapped a picture with her camera. "Got it!"

Kelly's face darkened. "Zoey!"

Xsus laughed awkwardly and let her go. The echidna scowled at the three women before she looked at Xsus again. "You see what you do?!"

The golden cat blinked with confusion. "What did I do?"

"You constantly feed their inner fangirl. This was no exception!" Kelly complained.

"… I don't understand," Xsus said as his ears flattened against his head.

"Ugh… never mind," Kelly grumbled as she turned and walked away.

Poor Xsus could only stare as she walked away, seemingly annoyed with him. He turned to his friend Chase, a white cat with a black-tipped tail, paws, and ears. "What did I do…?"

Chase shook his head. "Girls."

His best friend Jackson, a dark grey cat with unusual ears, nodded in agreement. "Girls are just confusing, Xsus. It's okay."

Jackson's sister Ria, a light pink cat with flappy dog-like ears, rolled her eyes. "Guys are just as confusing."

The three of them began to bicker with each other. Xsus facepalmed and turned to the final member of their team, Skarrow. He was a light brown cat with dark brown spots all over his body and dark brown eyes. "What did I do, Skarry?"

The cat smiled faintly. _"Don't worry about it, Xsus. She'll be fine._"

Xsus sighed and glanced almost longingly towards Kelly. The echidna was now grinning from ear-to-ear as she tickled Eternity. The little fox screamed with laughter and swatted at her sister's hands. Chaos and Robyn watched in amusement as the girls ran around laughing. Sonic shook his head and grinned as Eternity tried to hide behind him.

"I don't think that's going to work, Eternity," he chuckled.

Eternity squeaked as Kelly moved around the blue speedster. Her blue eyes darted around before landing on a certain hedgehog. A grin slowly curled her lips and she bolted over to the hedgehog, tackling him in the process. "UNCLE SHADOW!"

The Ultimate Lifeform blinked and then scooped his niece up. "Hello Eternity."

"Kelly's been tickling me," the little fox said.

Shadow shot a Look at Kelly. If the echidna had still been eleven years old, she would've squeaked and ran away. However, she was fifteen years old now. She boldly strode up to Shadow, put her hands on her hips, and sent a Look right back at him. Shadow raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. Kelly matched the expression before she poked Eternity and walked off.

The ebony hedgehog turned to Boom, the third Alvainian. "You saw that, right?"

The black cat grinned. His brown eyes twinkled with amusement. "Kelly's not so little anymore, is she?"

The hedgehog paused for a moment, thinking. Then he looked down at Eternity, who was burying her face in his chest fluff. "… Comfortable?"

Eternity nodded and emitted a small, content sigh. Strife walked over and chuckled softly. "Uncle of the year?"

"Pffft. Not hardly. She completely adores Tails," Shadow answered.

"Yeah, but she always goes to you when she's tired," the twin-tailed genius said as he walked up.

"I think it's pretty evenly divided between the two of you," a voice cut in.

Eyes snapped to the newcomer. Tails grinned. "Alustriel!"

Shadow smirked faintly. "Commander."

The blue fox lifted her trademark sunglasses, revealing dark brown eyes. She grinned back at Shadow. "My second-in-command."

This was news to several people. It had been no secret that Alustriel and Shadow couldn't stand each other from the moment they met. The reasoning behind their dislike for one another had never been explained. However, ever since the birth of Eternity, they had been getting along solely for her sake. Then came the fact that Alustriel was now commander of GUN and had needed a second-in-command. Everyone originally thought that she would've picked Rouge or Topaz. Therefore, it had been a huge shock when she announced that she wanted Shadow to fill the position. It was even more surprising when Shadow accepted her offer.

"Did you get those reports I left on your desk?" Shadow asked.

"Yes I did. Thanks for following up on that last one, I've been waiting for it," Alustriel said as she ruffled Eternity's fur.

The little fox grinned and stretched her arms out. "Auntie Ace!"

Alustriel gently took her niece from Shadow and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Hello Eternity."

Silver the Hedgehog smiled with his two-year-old daughter Sangna in his arms, asleep. "She's getting big."

Cosmo chuckled as she patted her daughter Midna on the head. "They all are."

Kuro, the son of Shade and Knuckles the Echidna, waved in response. Knuckles smirked and gave his son a noogie. "It's what happens with time passing."

Alustriel rolled her eyes. "Yes. Thank you Knuckles. Next time we need the obvious stated, we shall be sure to request your presence."

Everyone around them started snickering. Knuckles glared at Alustriel and opened his mouth to retort, but Eternity started giggling and waving her hands around. As she did so, a familiar energy surrounded her hands and accidentally shot off in a few different directions. Silver yelped as his top quill was nearly taken off by the blast. Strife merely teleported out of the direction of the blast while Tails ducked down.

Shadow's eyes widened as he stared at his niece. "CHAOS! ROBYN! YOU HAVE TO COME HERE!"

The couple immediately ran over, looking alarmed. "What is it, Shadow?!" Robyn asked worriedly.

Shadow gestured to Eternity, who was staring at her hands. "She… she just used Light Energy…"

Chaos stared at his daughter. She looked up from her hands into the stunned gaze of her father. "… Daddy?"

"… Can you do it again, sweetheart?" the hedgehog asked as he came closer to her.

Eternity blinked at him, and then yelped when her hands started glowing again. Katherine ran over, her sky blue eyes wide. "She… she can use Light Energy?"

Mathius smirked faintly as he walked up. "That's not all she can do."

All eyes immediately went to him. The wizard chuckled and motioned for Alustriel to put the girl down. Frowning, the GUN commander put her niece down carefully. Mathius knelt down to Eternity's height and smiled at her. "Why don't you show everyone else what you can do?"

"I… I don't know…" Eternity seemed nervous.

Mathius chuckled. "Let's start you off easy."

He stood back up and held his hand out in front of him before muttering a phrase in some unknown tongue (well, unknown to everyone except Braelyn, Aliana, and Malicai). His hand glowed light blue and then he suddenly held a flask of water in his hand. He uncapped it and grinned at Eternity. "Just do it like I taught you."

The little fox frowned and concentrated on the flask. She held her hand out towards it, biting her lip nervously. Suddenly the flask shook in Mathius' hand and the water came sailing out of it towards her hand. It swirled around her hand like an energy.

Robyn's eyes were wide. She turned to her husband. "She's a hydrokinetic… like you."

Mathius held his other hand up for silence as everyone started muttering amongst themselves. "She's not done yet. Shadow… mind if I see your Chaos Emerald?"

The Ultimate Lifeform frowned as he pulled the red emerald out of his pocket. He handed it over to the wizard, who knelt down in front of Eternity again and held it out to her. She gently took it and gasped softly as the emerald glowed in her hand. Chaos energy washed over her body; it felt natural to her. She thought about her uncle's signature catchphrase and she held the emerald up while squeezing her eyes shut.

"CHAOS… CONTROL!"

A bright light enveloped her. Everyone else shielded their eyes for a few seconds. Once it dimmed down, they looked to see that Eternity was no longer standing in the same place. Robyn was about to freak out until she realized that Eternity was standing right next to her. The little fox looked up at her and slowly beamed. "I be like Uncle Shadow, mommy!"

If Robyn's heart was still beating like a normal fox, she probably would have had a heart attack at that very moment. Her daughter could use Light energy, Chaos energy, and was a hydrokinetic. "Oh my Chaos…"

Her husband's ears twitched briefly. Mathius chuckled and took the emerald back from Eternity. "There's one more thing. Eternity?"

Eternity nodded slowly and reached towards her mother. Robyn was confused until Eternity gestured for her to kneel down. The older grey fox knelt down to her daughter's height. Eternity placed a hand on her mother's locket for a few seconds and then pulled it away. Robyn nearly passed out from shock as she watched her daughter's hand spark with a familiar purple electric-fire.

Starfire.

Mathius smirked triumphantly as he handed the Chaos Emerald back to Shadow. "Zap wasn't kidding when he said that she was going to be a powerful kid."

Chaos and Robyn glanced over to Zap. The golden cat nodded slowly, his eyes repeating the warning that he had given them right after Eternity's birth. Robyn bit her lip timidly and looked at her husband, who looked just as bewildered and nervous as she felt. Everyone else was wide-eyed and murmuring amongst themselves. Mathius ruffled Eternity's fur before walking back over to his wife and son. Eternity beamed again and then looked up at her parents with shining blue eyes.

"… Good job, Eternity," Chaos finally managed to say.

The little fox frowned slightly. Her father's tone didn't seem too happy. "Daddy…?"

Robyn gently scooped her daughter up and hugged her close. Zap walked over to them, rubbing his temple. "This is what I was talking about. Only… it's worse than I expected. She has a lot more potential than I realized."

"What do we do, Zap?" Robyn asked worriedly.

The first Alvainian glanced to Boom and Windy, who had also walked over. "The only thing you can do is train her to use her abilities. She needs to be able to control them properly and use them in case of defensive measures," Boom said as his brown eyes focused on the little family.

Chaos nodded. "Shadow, Sonic, Kelly, Knuckles, and I can train her in using Chaos energy. Robyn, obviously, can handle the Starfire. I can teach her about being a hydrokinetic."

"I can help with that too!" Xsus declared as he walked up.

Zap nodded. "Katherine can help her with Light energy. If need be, Windy, Boom, or myself can assist her."

Robyn smiled faintly at the others before looking down at her daughter. The little girl seemed oblivious to everyone talking about her; her head was leaning against her mother's chest and her aqua blue eyes were nearly closed. The older fox gently pressed a kiss to the top of Eternity's head and started stroking her fur. _Chaos above, keep a close watch on my daughter… she's gonna have it a little rough growing up with these abilities…_

**-XxXxX-**

Unbeknownst to the heroes, a dark figure was watching their movements. A black cat with his ears shaped to look like devil horns and sickly yellow eyes smirked as he leaned back in his chair. He was dressed in all black, which made him blend in perfectly with the shadows around him. It suited him, considering that he was the master of manipulating shadows and other dark things. He looked at the shadow scout before him and dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

"So… the hedgehog and his lover have a child. A young one at that, with an interesting array of gifts… and dear old Zap seems to be quite attached to the girl! Good to know," the cat chuckled to himself.

His eyes glowed in the darkness. "SIERRA!"

A moment later, a black cat with ice blue eyes entered the room. She glanced to the male cat and bowed slightly. "Yes Father Darkness?"

"I have some news for you, regarding your so-called 'siblings' in the other dimension," the cat known as Father Darkness said as he tapped his fingers together.

Sierra scowled. "I am NOT related to any of them."

"Family issues aside, it turns out that Chaos and his lover have a _child_. A young girl," Father Darkness said.

Sierra's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Is that so…?"

FD smirked. "Yes. She's demonstrated quite a peculiar arrangement of talent… Light energy, Chaos energy, the hedgehog's hydrokinesis, and the fox's Starfire."

"Quite a powerful child," Sierra murmured.

"This could grow to be a problem, considering that she has several different people that are going to help her control her abilities. Especially her Light energy… she'll have Zap and Katherine teaching her," FD scowled.

Sierra hissed at the mention of Katherine. "I assume you want me to go take care of it?"

"No, not quite yet. It takes time and practice to master Light energy. She's only a young one, it'll be years before she is considered to be a threat," FD said as he leaned forward in his chair.

Sierra frowned. "So we're just going to keep an eye on her?"

"For now. When the time is right… we'll strike. We take the child out, and we cripple at least half of those blasted fools. Her family and Zap in particular. The rest will soon follow and then we will have no problem wiping out the rest of the Light Givers," FD smirked.

A grin slowly curled Sierra's lips. "Excellent."

She bowed again and quickly left the room. FD chuckled as he sunk back in his chair again, still tapping his fingers together. "Enjoy it while you can, Zap. Once the child dies, you'll soon follow by my hand. Then the rest of the dimension shall be mine."


	4. Thirteen Years Later

_Thirteen years later…_

"Xsus. Xsus? XSUS!"

"Huh!?"

"What in the world has got you so distracted?"

The golden cat known as Xsus shook his head and looked at the girl sitting across from him. "Um… nothing important."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him. "I've been calling your name for a good thirty seconds. It must be SOMETHING if you're that far gone on the thought train."

Xsus sighed and rubbed his temple tenderly. "Sorry, Kelly…"

Kelly the Echidna looked at him with her arctic-blue eyes softening. She placed her spoon down in her bowl of ice cream and reached her hand across to place it on top of his. "What is it?"

Xsus looked back at her. His own blue eyes roamed over her form before focusing on her face. "Um…"

He felt embarrassed. Here he was, twenty-seven years old, and he had gone through things that no one should ever have to go through. Constant war had shadowed his life, yet he had always tried to be a happy face. He internally chuckled at the memories of his ten-year-old self running around, hyper and demanding ice cream whenever he could. Back then he hadn't wanted to grow up. Growing up sucked.

Yet here he was. Twenty-seven years old. He hadn't grown up completely, per se; he still loved ice cream and running around like a little kid. His best friend was still Kelly, and she still loved joining him in random shenanigans. However, Xsus had learned that maturity came with each passing year and so he was more mature than he had been when he was ten.

Of course, that had been questionable during puberty. But that was a different story.

At the moment, he felt a weird feeling in his stomach whenever he was around Kelly. He was even happier to see her than he normally was and he seemed to pick up on the little things she did. The way she smiled, her laugh, the times she tended to have ice cream dripping down her chin, he noticed them all. He wasn't sure why.

Kelly herself had definitely changed in the years. She was twenty-seven as well, almost twenty-eight years old. She was a lot more mature and her physical appearance had caught the attention of everyone who knew her. Gone was the slightly tomboy-ish child that been the smiling face of the Prower family. In her place was a well-defined young woman who knew how to carry herself with the right attitude. Her dreads were almost down to her waist now and she tended to wear black pants tucked into black boots with a curve-hugging long-sleeved shirt that had a heart in the center of it.

She was pretty, even moreso than she had been way back when.

And Xsus didn't understand why he noticed it _now_ of all times.

"Xsus!"

He shook his head again. "Huh…?"

Kelly sighed and picked her spoon up again. "Still spacey."

She picked her bowl up and got up to walk into the kitchen. The golden cat watched as the blue echidna left, her graceful walk captivating his attention. She had definitely grown up and Xsus was confused by his sudden feelings. What did it mean? Why was he so tuned in to her actions?

He abruptly stood up and skedaddled into the kitchen. "Kelly!"

She was placing her bowl in the sink as she looked at him. "What?"

He walked quickly over to her and took her hands in his. "Please help me. I don't know what to do."

Kelly's eyes grew slightly wide in alarm. "What? What is it?"

Xsus' ears flattened. "I… um… I, uh…"

Great. He was stuttering and his face was bright red, like a tomato. The echidna looked at him worriedly. "Xsus…?"

Her voice seemed to snap him out of it. Never did he want to hear her sound like she was about to start freaking out, or even start crying. "I, um… I'm confused… there's this girl, and-"

Kelly suddenly sighed with relief as she let go of his hands and pulled him into a hug. "Oh, Xsus. Don't scare me like that!"

The cat blinked. "What?"

She looked at him and grinned. "The key word was 'girl'. Judging by your face and your stuttering, there's a girl you like?"

"… Is that it?" Xsus asked as he tilted his head.

Kelly giggled. "Silly. You probably didn't know, did you? Neither Chase nor Jackson ever explained to you the stages of a crush? Or Skarrow maybe? Heck, Chaos? I know HE'S an expert in that field…"

Xsus shook his head. "No… but um… there's more…"

Kelly blinked. "Uh? Really?"

He focused on her face. The face that had always brought him great joy whenever he saw it. The face that now made his tummy feel like there were butterflies fluttering around and his face turn bright red.

Without warning he leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. Her face went from zero to sixty in redness. "X… Xsus…?"

"… It's you, Kels. It's always been you," he muttered quietly.

Silence. The golden cat slowly pulled back and looked down into his best friend's shocked blue eyes. He swallowed nervously and opened his mouth to speak. "Kelly, I-"

She cut him off by softly pressing her lips to his. The kiss was brief and sweet, but it still sent color rushing to Xsus' cheeks. Kelly broke away from the kiss and smiled at him, then started chuckling in disbelief. "You… you stupid caudex…"

Xsus blinked. "What?"

She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. "I've been in love with you for _years_, Xsus. YEARS."

The Staryian looked at her in shock. Slowly he brought his hand to her chin and tilted it upward so she was looking at him. "You have…?"

"Xsus, you're so oblivious sometimes," a new voice sighed.

The two adults jumped away from each other and glanced towards the staircase. Kelly's face was bright red. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," the newcomer said as she crossed her arms.

Kelly shot her a Look. "Eternity…"

Eternity Prower smirked. "It's about bloody time that one of you made a move. I didn't expect it to be Xsus though."

Xsus coughed awkwardly. "Hey Eternity."

The sixteen-year-old fox wiggled her fingers at him. The Staryian couldn't help but be in awe of how much the girl had grown up. Gone was the little girl who ran around in frilly dresses and stole nearly everyone's hearts. She was now a teenager, just two years away from being an adult, and she had changed a lot. Her hair was still halfway down her back, with her father's black streaks still in her fur and on her body. She typically wore white fingerless gloves, a single star-shaped stud in her left ear, a red shirt similar to Chaos', dark blue jeans tucked into Robyn's old black and silver boots, and a black trench coat. She acted a lot like Chaos when he was a teenager; sarcastic and witty, but ready to help a friend in need and fiercely loyal to her family. Her powers had grown in strength over the years; in addition to Light energy, Chaos energy, hydrokinesis, and Starfire, she liked to use a bow like her father and grandmother. She was perfectly capable of defending herself, but Xsus still worried about her. Heck, everybody worried about her; there had been no sign of several enemies over the past thirteen years, like Father Darkness and Aero the Hedgehog. Xsus worried that they'd show their face eventually and Eternity would be completely unprepared for what they were capable of.

"I don't suppose you've been to the other dimension lately, Xsus?" Eternity asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

The cat blinked and then shook his head. "I have, but I haven't seen Chaos recently."

A frown crossed Eternity's features and she glanced unhappily to the window. Kelly sighed as she looked to Xsus anxiously. Chaos the Hedgehog had gone to the Light dimension a few months ago and he still hadn't returned home. Kelly and Robyn were worried about him, but Eternity was worse. She was a complete "Daddy's girl" and the fact that she hadn't seen a single trace of her father for three months was starting to tear on her nerves.

He had even missed her sixteenth birthday, which made her all the more sour.

"I'm sure he's fine, Eternity," Kelly said as she walked over to her sister and wrapped her arms around her.

Eternity made no move to push Kelly away, but she tensed as her adopted sister hugged her. "If he was fine, then he'd be home by now. Mom wouldn't be locked up in her room."

_And you wouldn't be such an irritable teenager,_ Kelly thought silently as she pulled away to look at the fox.

Eternity sighed as she gently pried Kelly's arms off and opened the back door. "I'm going to go practice shooting."

"Archery? Again?" Kelly asked.

"What? I need to keep up with my training. Grandma said that she'd be checking up on me one of these days," Eternity said.

The echidna opened her mouth to respond, thought about it for a second, and then closed her mouth. Xsus looked at Eternity and sighed. "Be careful, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," the fox grumbled as she walked out the back door and closed it behind her.

Kelly rubbed her temple. "She acts like Mom when she gets like this. It worries me."

"I know," Xsus said as he walked over and wrapped his arms around her.

Kelly smiled faintly and returned his hug. She buried her face in his chest and hummed softly. The Staryian slowly smiled as he recognized the tune she was humming. It was "You are my sunshine", a little song that they had always sang to each other whenever the other was upset or concerned. He hugged her tighter and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before humming along with her.

**-XxXxX-**

_Thunk._

Eternity growled faintly as the arrow hit the edge of the target. Her agitation was clearly evident on her face as she fired arrows at the target. Her bow- a gold-plated compound bow and her birthday present from Braelyn- was gripped firmly in her hand. Ordinary steel-tipped arrows were resting comfortably in the quiver on her hip. A few of them were lodged in the target several feet away from her.

She aimed another arrow. She stared at the target for several seconds before she sighed and lowered her bow. Archery usually took her mind off of everything, but today she couldn't focus. Her thoughts were too occupied with her father and his absence.

_He's never missed a birthday. Never. Was the mission THAT important?_ Eternity wondered.

"Sissy?"

The girl blinked and strapped her bow to her back before she turned her attention to the newcomer. "Yes, Niren?"

Niren shifted uncomfortably. "Um… Zap wants to see us."

Eternity inhaled and exhaled as she looked at her brother. Niren was younger than her by five years. He looked exactly like Chaos, but he had grey streaks in his quills and he had Robyn's dark green eyes. His twin swords were strapped to his back and he had the dark blue Chaos Emerald in his left hand. It was kind of painful at how much he looked like Chaos, but he had Robyn's personality so it wasn't too bad.

"Where is he?" the fox questioned as she plucked her arrows out of the target.

"Out front. He's got Auntie Katherine with him," Niren answered.

Eternity nodded thoughtfully as she put the last arrow back in her quiver. "Let's go, then."

**-XxXxX-**

"You do realize that you are going to get ambushed when they realize that you're here, right?" Katherine asked.

A soft voice chuckled. "I'm well aware of that."

The black cat opened her mouth to make another comment, but she trailed off as her sky-blue eyes drifted to the front door of the Prower mansion. She smiled as a certain grey fox with dark green eyes stood in the open doorway with wide eyes. "Hey Robyn! Look who finally decided to show his face!"

Robyn didn't answer her. Her gaze was focused on the red hedgehog standing next to Katherine. Her mouth fell open slightly and her green orbs watered as she put a hand to her mouth in shock. Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke. "Chaos…?"

Chaos the Hedgehog smiled at his wife. "Hey, beautiful…"

Katherine slowly grinned and clasped her hands together. Zap chuckled behind them and watched as Robyn slowly made her way off of the porch and onto the front lawn. The grey fox had her hair up in a thick bun and was wearing a long one-strap black dress that had served as her nightgown the previous night. In her opinion she looked like hell, but Chaos thought that she looked like a queen. He moved towards her with his arms stretched out for an embrace…

… And he blinked when Robyn slapped him across the face.

Zap smirked slightly as Chaos blinked again. Katherine looked confused for a second. "Wha…?"

Suddenly Robyn burst into tears and threw her arms around the red hedgehog. "You stupid caudex! You stupid, stupid, STUPID CAUDEX!"

Chaos chuckled awkwardly as he wrapped his arms around her. One hand slid to the small of her back while the other rested below the back of her neck. He pulled her closer to him and rested his head on her shoulder. "Robyn-"

"Don't you _dare_ 'Robyn' me, Chaos the Hedgehog. Do you realize how long you've been gone?!" the grey fox snapped.

Chaos remained silent. Previous experience and observance had taught him that it was best to let the woman rant a little before doing or saying anything. Robyn pulled back slightly from his hug to look him straight in the eye. "Three months, Chaos. Three. Freaking. Months. Without a _single_ word from you letting us know that you were okay. Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you?! Day in and day out I've prayed for a sign from you, and so have your kids! You freaking missed Eternity's sixteenth birthday! And if you think I'm mad about that, wait until she gets her hands on you-"

She was abruptly silenced by Chaos pressing his lips to hers. His hands slid up and cupped her face as he tenderly kissed her. The grey fox stood there for a few seconds trying to comprehend what just happened before she gave into her husband's kiss. Katherine was trying not to squeal at the couple while Zap was rolling his eyes at her.

The Original Lifeform slowly pulled away from his wife and smiled gently at her, stroking his cheek with his thumb. "I know, sweetheart. I know. I can't ever apologize enough for my absence… the mission took me longer than I thought it would. I thought about you and the kids every single day. I missed you terribly, and I'm so sorry-"

Now it was Chaos' turn to be cut off, for Robyn kissed him mid-sentence. He eagerly returned the kiss and smiled against her lips. She smiled as well and broke the kiss, looking at him adoringly. She sighed contently and rested her head on his chest. "Don't ever do that again, you hear me?"

"Of course, love. Whatever my queen desires," Chaos whispered against the top of her head.

Katherine squealed at that. "Awwww~!"

Zap rolled his eyes again. "Katherine, control yourself."

"Zap, just because you can't understand such adorable things doesn't mean you can ruin it for other people!" the black cat scowled.

The first Alvainian sighed and shook his head. Katherine returned her attention to her brother and her sister-in-law, smiling. "You two are just… too perfect."

Chaos smirked. "We know."

"Robyn does have a point, though. Eternity was beyond mad when you missed her birthday, and once she sees you… you might want to brace yourself," Zap warned.

"I know, Zap. But thanks for the warning," the Original Lifeform said as his eyes drifted to the front door.

Robyn pulled away from him and also looked to the front door. Sure enough, her two children were standing there, wide-eyed as they gazed upon their father for the first time in over three months. She smiled and moved to the side, allowing Chaos to take a few steps forward. Katherine walked over to stand next to Robyn while Zap stayed where he was, watching the silent exchange between the father and his two kids.

"DAD! ! !" Niren shrieked as he bolted off of the porch and towards his father.

Chaos laughed as he knelt down and stretched his arms out, allowing his son to tackle him. As soon as Niren threw his arms around his father, Chaos returned the hug and kissed his son's cheek. "Hey, Niren!"

"I missed you! Where did you go?!" Niren asked as he pulled back to look at Chaos.

"I was… I was over in Zap's dimension. They wanted me to help them with something. I missed you too, kiddo. I missed you A LOT," the red hedgehog answered as he smiled at his son.

Niren grinned for a few seconds, and then his face fell. "You missed sissy's birthday… she's not too happy about that…"

Chaos sighed softly and swallowed. "I know. How about you go stand with your mom while I talk to Eternity?"

The younger hedgehog nodded and gave his father another hug before standing up and walking over to his mother. Robyn smiled sweetly at him and scooped him up, planting a kiss on his forehead. He made a face and quickly wiped his forehead, causing a laugh to escape Katherine's lips as she watched the two. Chaos smiled at the scene and then turned his attention to his daughter.

She still hadn't moved from the porch. Her eyes- still the same color as his- were completely focused on him, only they were no longer wide with disbelief. They were narrowed and they were practically screaming _"I really want to hurt you right now"_ at him. The Original Lifeform frowned, feeling a wave of guilt settle in his gut as he slowly walked towards her.

"Eternity…"

She held a hand up to silence him. The other hand, which had clenched into a fist, started shaking. "I really can't believe you right now…"

"Eternity… please… hear me out-" Chaos started to say.

"WHY SHOULD I?!" Eternity screamed as her hands began to spark with Starfire.

The others turned to her, startled by her outburst. Chaos' eyes widened a little and he lifted his hands in surrender. "I know you're angry, sweetheart-"

"You missed my sixteenth birthday, Dad. You've NEVER missed a birthday, EVER. And we went THREE FREAKING MONTHS without hearing from you. Do you even realize how worried sick we were?! Mom locked herself in her room and spent all of her time staring out the window, waiting for you to show up. Niren made great progress with his swords, no thanks to you by the way, and he was anxious to show you how good he's become," Eternity snarled.

Her hands shook even more, and the Starfire started to cover her hands. "You didn't see the heartbroken look on his face when I had to be the one to tell him that you weren't home, and that we had no idea when you'd be back. You weren't there to see him cry every night for a month straight because you weren't there to hug and kiss him goodnight! YOU WEREN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED YOU MOST!"

Fueled by rage, she formed two balls of Starfire and flung them at Chaos. The hedgehog had no time to react as he was hit in the stomach by both of them and sent stumbling a few feet back. Niren and Katherine both yelped and ran to steady him while Robyn stared wide-eyed at her daughter. Tears were streaming down the younger fox's face as she glared at Chaos.

"AND NOW YOU SHOW UP AND ACT LIKE NOTHING IS WRONG! LIKE YOU HAVEN'T EMOTIONALLY TORN THIS FAMILY APART! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU! I… I HATE YOU!" she screamed.

Time seemed to slow down for Chaos as his daughter's words rang in his ears. He stared at her, wide-eyed with disbelief, and his mouth hung open. He felt like he had just been run through with his own sword. "Eternity… I…"

The younger fox had had enough. She turned on her heel and ran off of the porch towards the forest, ignoring Robyn's cries for her to come back. Tears continued to pour down her face like a waterfall as she followed a familiar path through the edge of the forest. Right now she just needed someone to vent to, and she knew two people that would be more than willing to listen to her.

Soon she came upon a little cottage near the center of the forest. It wasn't anything special, just a one-story house with a little lake in front of it and plants everywhere. She ran up to the front door and started banging her fist on it. Not even three seconds later the door opened and a girl with light purple eyes and long blonde hair stood in the doorway, looking bewildered. "Eternity…?"

"ANA!" Eternity cried as she threw herself at the girl.

The girl, Ana, immediately caught the fox and hugged her close. "What's wrong?!"

Eternity sniffled, trying to control her crying. "M-My dad… he c-came back home…"

Ana blinked, confused by why her best friend would be upset at this fact. "Is he okay?"

"He's f-fine… but… he's acting l-like nothing is w-wrong… like he d-didn't miss anything important… I got s-so angry at him!" Eternity wailed.

"Oh, dear… um… SKY! Can you come here?" Ana called out.

A moment later, a seventeen-year-old girl with waist-length chocolate-brown hair and matching eyes came out of the living room with her hands clasped behind her back. She smiled for a second and greeted Eternity, then tilted her head when she looked at the fox's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Chaos came back home and apparently is acting like nothing is wrong, so Eternity is upset by it," Ana explained.

Sky shook her head and moved to join the hug. "Oh, Eternity…"

"Did you try talking to him about what has happened while he was gone?" Ana asked Eternity.

The fox paused for a second to wipe her eyes, and then looked at the ground guiltily. "I… I kinda screamed it at him…"

"Did you give him a chance to explain why he was gone for so long?" Sky questioned.

"… No…" Eternity mumbled.

Ana sighed and hugged her best friend tightly. "Sweetie, that wasn't the best idea. I know you're upset that he missed your birthday and that Robyn and Niren were just as miserable without him, but you should've given him a chance to explain himself. I'm sure that it wasn't his choice to be gone for that long."

Sky nodded in agreement. "He loves you very much, Eternity. There had to be some reason behind his lengthy absence."

A huge wave of guilt washed over the fox. "I hit him… with Starfire… and told him that I hated him…"

Ana and Sky looked at each other, wide-eyed. Then they looked back at Eternity, who had more tears sliding down her face as she realized what she had done. "I'm such a terrible daughter… he's gonna hate me…!"

"Eternity Marie Prower, don't you DARE say that. There's no way that Chaos could ever hate you. You're his daughter, his first-born child, and the light of his life, aside from Robyn and Niren. His love for you easily surpasses any and all obstacles that the two of you face together. If there's one thing I know, he'll understand why you were so angry with him," Ana said as she hugged Eternity and rubbed her back.

Sky nodded again and smiled. "All you have to do is go apologize to him. You also need to let him explain why he was gone for so long."

Eternity slowly nodded as she pulled back from Ana's embrace and looked at her two best friends. "Will… will you guys come with me?"

"Of course!" Ana and Sky said in unison.


	5. Apologies

"I told you she was angry," Zap murmured quietly.

Katherine glared at him and lifted a hand like she was going to hit him. "Zap. Shut up."

Niren looked at Chaos worriedly as he helped his father over to a chair on the front porch. "Are you okay, dad?"

"I'm fine, kiddo. I just wasn't expecting her to lash out at me like that," Chaos grimaced as he rubbed his stomach.

Robyn shook her head and put a hand to her temple. "I knew she was angry, but-"

"Honey, it's all right. She had every right to be mad at me. I should've done a better job in trying to contact you guys while I was gone," Chaos said.

Braelyn, who had come out after hearing Eternity storm off, shook her head as she hovered a hand over Chaos' stomach. She muttered a quick phrase in her native tongue and her hand glowed a pale blue color. She gently pressed her hand over the spot where the Starfire had hit the hedgehog and he hissed slightly in pain. "Ow."

"Be glad it wasn't a full-fledged assault, Chaos. THEN it would really hurt," Braelyn said sternly as she continued to heal the injury.

Niren glanced towards the forest and frowned. "She better not get herself in trouble again…"

"I'm sure she's fine, Niren. She probably went to see Ana and Sky," Zap said as he followed the young hedgehog's gaze.

"I still find it kind of amusing that you know Eternity as well as you do, Zap. Seventeen years ago you were very awkward around children," Braelyn smirked.

Zap scowled. "I was not awkward."

"Yes you were!" everyone except Niren responded in unison.

Niren laughed at the expression on the first Alvainian's face. "It's okay Zap; you're not as awkward as you used to be."

"Uh… thank you, Niren," Zap said quietly, deciding to ignore the fact that the hedgehog's words didn't really help his case.

Braelyn smirked and finished healing Chaos' wound. "There you go, dear."

"Thanks, 'Momma'," Chaos grinned as he hugged the blonde human.

She shook her head as she returned the hug and ruffled his quills. Chaos immediately pulled back and gave her a Look as he straightened his quills. Robyn laughed at their exchange- Chaos acted like he got annoyed with Braelyn messing up his quills, but the truth was that he didn't really care. She really was like a mother to him.

Niren's ears suddenly twitched and he looked to the forest again. Katherine frowned. "What is it, Niren?"

The hedgehog's ears twitched again. A grin slowly curled his lips as three girls emerged from the trees and he ran forward. "SISSY!"

Eternity immediately braced herself and laughed as her brother glomped her. She petted the top of his head affectionately. "Hey lil' bro."

Ana crossed her arms playfully. "I see how it is, Niren! I don't get a hug?!"

"Sorry Ana!" the hedgehog laughed as he let go of his sister and moved to hug the girl.

Sky smiled and patted Niren's head. "Hello Niren!"

The hedgehog immediately turned bright red as he turned to look at Sky. He smiled shyly. "H-Hi, Sky…"

Eternity internally smirked and looked at Ana. The older girl was also smirking and she nudged the fox, dropping her voice to a whisper. "He likes her."

"I know," Eternity giggled.

Ana smiled and glanced away. Eternity followed her gaze and looked at the adults. Robyn, Chaos, Braelyn, Zap, and Katherine all looked relieved. She smiled faintly and started walking towards them. Zap ruffled her hair as she passed him and she made a face at him. Braelyn and Robyn moved off of the porch to stand next to Katherine as Eternity walked up to Chaos. The Original Lifeform looked at his daughter and smiled faintly.

"Daddy?" the younger fox asked.

"Yes, Eternity?" Chaos responded.

She shifted uncomfortably and clutched at her wrist. "I… I, um… uh… I'm sorry… for what I said and did…"

A smile slowly crossed over the hedgehog's face and he pulled his daughter into a close hug. "I'm sorry too, sweetheart. I didn't mean to be gone for so long. The mission took a bit of a detour and I had to cut off all communication until I was done. But I thought about you guys every day, and I missed you terribly."

He carefully reached into the pocket of his coat. "I have something for you… close your eyes."

The teen fox closed her eyes as requested and waited. Chaos smiled as he pulled her birthday gift out and carefully placed it around her neck. "Okay, open your eyes."

Eternity opened her eyes and immediately looked down. She gasped softly as a beautiful silver locket studded with emeralds glinted in the afternoon sun. "D… Daddy…"

"Happy belated birthday, Eternity Marie. It opens up if you press the emerald in the middle," Chaos smiled.

She gently ran her finger over the emeralds before pressing the middle one. Sure enough, the locket opened up to reveal a photo. It was a photo of her, Niren, Chaos, Robyn, Braelyn, Mathius, Malicai, Ana, Sky, Katherine, Shadow, Zap, Alustriel, Zoey, and Tails at Niren's tenth birthday party. Niren had cake all over his face and Robyn, Tails, Katherine, Zoey, and Braelyn were laughing. Alustriel and Shadow were both smirking at their nephew. Mathius was trying to restrain Malicai from throwing cake everywhere, and Ana and Sky were pointing to Eternity. The teen fox was hugging Chaos and Zap while grinning at both of them. Chaos was grinning back and Zap had a hand placed on the top of her head with a faint smirk crossing his face. It had been a random picture taken by Sonic, but it had been Eternity's favorite memory of that day.

Her eyes watered as she looked at the photograph, and then she smiled at her father. She closed the locket and threw her arms around him. "Daddy, I love it…!"

"I'm glad you do. Anything for my baby girl," Chaos whispered as he hugged her back.

Robyn's dark green eyes watered as she smiled at the two. She and Niren both walked over to them and joined in the family hug. Zap, Katherine, Braelyn, Sky, and Ana all watched the little family with various traces of smiles on their faces. Chaos planted a kiss on the cheeks of his kids and wife before letting a huge smile cross his lips.

"It's good to be back home," he sighed as he stretched.

"I'm sure it is… _Chaos_," a voice suddenly hissed.


End file.
